Ophthalmic surgery saves and improves the vision of tens of thousands of patients every year. However, given the sensitivity of vision to even small changes in the eye and the minute and delicate nature of many eye structures, ophthalmic surgery is difficult to perform and the reduction of even minor or uncommon surgical errors or modest improvements in accuracy of surgical techniques can make an enormous difference in the patient's vision after the surgery.
Ophthalmic surgery is surgery performed on the eye or any part of the eye. Ophthalmic surgery is regularly performed to repair retinal defects, repair eye muscles, remove cataracts or cancer, or to restore or improve vision. Refractive eye surgery, for example, is a type of ophthalmic surgery used to improve the refractive state of the eye for the purpose of decreasing or eliminating dependency on glasses or contact lenses. Refractive surgery procedures may include surgically remodeling the cornea and/or cataract surgery, either of which may be performed by lasers.
In various ophthalmic surgical procedures, a laser uses photodisruption to create incisions. When performing ophthalmic surgery with lasers, a surgical procedure typically includes docking, imaging, analysis, and laser treatment. During docking, a patient's eye is docked to a suction cone in order to provide pressure to flatten the patient's cornea (known as applanation) and hold it in position for the laser treatment. Docking is a sensitive process, and proper placement of the suction cone in the Z-direction, and in the X and Y-directions, is important for successful ophthalmic surgery. Upon contact with the eye and during docking various forces are applied to the eye and it is important to discern whether such forces are excessive or capable of damaging the eye tissue, causing inflammation, or causing other potentially avoidable complications.